Bonner County commissioners in northern Idaho are urging the U.S. Forest Service not to designate any more lands as potential federally protected wilderness in the Kootenai and Panhandle national forests.

Three federal agencies spent $392 million in 2012 to manage 32 million acres of Idaho public land, according to a report illustrating costs Idaho would face by assuming oversight of a substantial swath of the territory.

The Idaho Statesman reports the report was requested by U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson from the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

State lawmakers are discussing a proposal to take over 16.4 million acres of federal land.

A group of Idaho lawmakers gathers tomorrow at the Statehouse to begin weighing whether the federal government should transfer public lands to the state to manage. The all-day meeting will include presentations from Boise National Forest Supervisor Cecilia Seesholtz, Deputy Attorney General Steve Strack and State Forester David Groeschl. He's with the Idaho Department of lands.

The Boise National Forest has been a focal point of fire activity this year. The drought has increased the chance for extreme fires to act unpredictably. Sometimes, previously burned areas are the best way to stop the advance of these dangerous blazes – especially those that could endanger people and property.

The Ridge Fire is one of the blazes that’s benefited from previously burned areas. This fire has been burning for more than three weeks near the town of Lowman in the Boise National Forest.

The national debate over oil development took an unusual turn on an Idaho highway early Tuesday morning. For two hours, members of the NezPerce Tribe blocked the passage of a giant water evaporator headed for the oil sands of Alberta, Canada.

Update, 5:00 AM Tuesday: BLM officials now say crews hope to have the Fir Grove Fire contained by Tuesday evening. The latest estimates of burned acreage now put the fire at approximately 7150 acres. Initially, fire officials had estimated the fire's size at more than 8500 acres.

Original post: Sunday afternoon, the Fir Grove Fire sprang up near Gooding, forcing the partial closure of Highway 46 and Highway 20.

Eight new fires started after a storm rumbled through the Boise National Forest Tuesday night. More than 4,000 lighting strikes were reported. The largest lightning-caused fire had reportedly burned 150 acres by this morning. Crews were ready for new starts after a red flag warning went into effect.

Nearby, the Pine Creek Fire has claimed about 1,500 acres since it started on Monday afternoon. The blaze is about 10 percent contained, with 240 firefighters at work.

Update 8:20 a.m.: Fire managers said Tuesday morning the Pine Creek Fire has now burned 800 acres northeast of Boise. 200 people are working the fire, which officials say has a "high" growth potential. With lightning in the forecast, firefighters are bracing for more new fires in the region. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Rafters along the popular Middle Fork of the Salmon River in central Idaho are being told to be prepared to share reserved camping spaces with other rafters or even firefighters because of a nearby wildfire.